Conventional wisdom suggests that the degree and frequency of vibrations can be reduced or avoided by inserting strips, rods or beams within the lanes between tube rows but in most instances this remedy has given rise to a new set of problems.
In British Patent No. 1,223,045, Robert Valluy describes a system of intersecting strips which form a honeycomb structure of rectangular cells. The object here is to eliminate those vibrations which create the most dangerous amplitudes and contribute most to structural damage.
Although Valluy achieves this basic goal he creates a new problem by making the system dependent on an intricate design which not only adds to the weight of the tube assembly but increases manufacturing costs, impedes fluid flow and lessens operating efficiencies.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,709, Richard Cunningham has sought to improve on the Valluy design by employing two supporting assemblies through which the tubes of a tube bundle pass in a spaced-apart relationship. In practice, these assemblies enhance fluid flow and achieve the desired result to some degree but the cost of fabricating and installing this system is so expensive and the weight which they impose on existing structures is so appreciable that the system is impractical. Moreover, the Cunningham apparatus must be built into prospective heat exchange systems and cannot be incorporated into already existing structures.
Accordingly, there is a need for an effective support and vibration suppressing system which can be incorporated into existing assemblies without adding appreciably to their overall weight or cost.